This invention relates to pumps and more particularly, to hand operated apparatus for dispensing small quantities of fluid.
A myriad of products, ranging from hand lotions to window cleaning compounds, are delivered for use from containers by small hand operated pumps. Some of these pumps, such as those supplied with window cleaning compounds, utilize a dip tube extending below the pump apparatus to draw fluid up to the pump for its exit. Others employ a configuration wherein a fluid containing reservoir is disposed above the pump apparatus. Dispensers of the latter variety are particularly well suited for use as wall mounted soap dispensers in washroom facilities. Since the container is positioned above the pump, location of the pump's outlet directly above a wash basin is facilitated. In addition, the upright container provides the advantages inherent in a gravity aided feed system. Functional disadvantages, however, stem from the procedures required to recharge a given dispenser. To minimize handling, it is desirable to substitute a full container for an empty one rather than refilling the latter. However, since the opening is on the lower side of the reservoir container, the replacement step typically entails a certain amount of spillage which involves both fluid loss and wasteful clean-up operations.
The object of this invention, therefore, is to provide a dispenser apparatus that can be quickly and easily recharged with fluid without any danger of spillage.